PHOTOS: Peter Som’s Fall Runway Was A Study In Texture

We never sit front row. We’re content being anonymous show watchers sitting (or often standing) in the back. But today something weird happened. We sat front row at Peter Som.

This must be a mistake, we thought. But it wasn’t. By some weird stroke of luck we sat front row opposite Mickey Boardman and all the other editors, just a few seats down from Olivia Palermo and Amanda Hearst. We were sweaty and flustered from rushing from Som’s backstage area at Milk Studios to Pamela Love‘s backstage area and then back downstairs to Som’s show. Needless to say, we weren’t photographed.

The lights went down and then they went up, and the clothes were spectacular. Being so close to the models actually does make a difference, we discovered. We could see things! And there was indeed much to see. Som’s fall collection was a study in texture. Not-so-basic blacks and whites were rendered in everything from wool to organza to satin to cotton eyelet. That’s not to say this was a monochromatic show. Deep teals and busy red florals punctuated the collection; one of our favorite pieces was an insane multi-colored fur coat. There were peplums for days and a plethora of structured jackets that epitomized the collection’s sophisticated glamour.

We wanted to reach out and touch it all — and we could have — but that wouldn’t have been very front row of us.